Humble piety

The road to sainthood is difficult, but newly canonized Jeanne Jugan knew that patience would bring otherworldly success.

In the last few years I have been a friend to an elderly man and helped care for a frail and aging relative who needed daily assistance and biweekly trips for renal dialysis treatment. When I took on these tasks, I thought, “Here’s my chance to be a saint.”

Fire starter

Chiara Lubich’s vision of warmth and friendship has sparked dialogue among people of many faiths.

During the horrors of World War II, Chiara Lubich lived with a group of young women companions in Trent, Italy. “While in the air-raid shelter, we came upon the page of the gospel which speaks of the testament of Jesus: ‘May they all be one, Father, as you and I are one,’ ” Lubich said of this time. “These words seemed to light up one by one. That ‘everyone’ expanded our horizon. That prayer for unity was to be the goal of our life.”

Birth announcements: An interview with scholar Laurie Brink

We shouldn’t get hung up on the details surrounding Jesus’ birth, says this Bible scholar. As with any scripture story, there’s more here than meets the eye.

Learning scripture in the land of the Bible changes the way you read it, says Sister Laurie Brink, O.P., who leads study tours to places such as Bethlehem. “The land holds memory,” she says. “It’s made holy by everybody that went there before.”

Read into it: What books can reveal to us about the presence of God

Books have a special way of opening our imaginations to moments of grace in life.

Catholics are a sacramental people. We see signs of the presence of God around us in every moment of our lives. We know, of course, that God is greater than we can imagine and beyond all that we can touch, but we are also convinced that creation, from the most ordinary—water, oil, bread—to the most unlikely—the stranger, the enemy, the cross—can reveal divine love.

Colleen Mary Carpenter teaches theology at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

New year, new you: Spiritual resolutions

Stretch your soul in ten minutes a day

It’s a new year, and time to get cracking on those resolutions. In addition to those vows to exercise regularly, eat better, save money, get organized, and call Mom more often, make room on your list for one more improvement: spiritual growth.

Boxing day: The spiritual practice of decluttering

I love my Christmas dinnerware. For the past 20 years I’ve served many wonderful feasts on it. Family and friends have gathered around my festive green and red table year after year to pray, eat, celebrate, and share stories. Our sons have grown up with my Christmas dishes, and now my granddaughter looks for them. Our family picture album reinforces the years gone by.

Mary Ann Otto, stewardship and special projects director for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The gift of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is for all Catholics, says religious studies and theology professor Jeanette Rodriguez.

To understand Our Lady of Guadalupe--the powerful story of the 16th-century apparition of Mary to the Indian Juan Diego outside what is now Mexico City--Jeanette Rodriguez says we must first enter into the experience of near-annihilation that the indigenous people faced at the hands of the Spanish invaders. It was in response to their agony that Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke her message of loving presence.